Dr Jill Scevak

Career Summary

Biography

My masters thesis (Effects of Map Training on Reading Comprehension) and my doctoral thesis (High School Students Processing of Texts and Maps) provided the foundation for my research activity in the faculty. This activity resulted in four refereed research articles and two conference papers.

Building on this foundation my subsequent research work was aligned with the facultys research priority area of Teaching and Learning focused on examining individual differences (e.g. motivation, approaches to learning, cognitive style, self-efficacy) in a variety of learning contexts: primary, secondary and tertiary. The discipline of Educational Psychology forms the conceptual framework for this research.

My research activity informs my approach to curriculum design (e.g. resubmission of assignments after feedback, choice of assignment topics), assessment practices, and the design of my teaching and learning materials in the courses I teach. I have presented these research findings to teachers in the Hunter Region (see teaching portfolio) and the school presentations have highlighted how important the design of the learning materials that students study is in the development of their mental representations (their understanding).

During my tenure at the university I have extended my research and publication profile across a wide variety of educational contexts and settings, including specific studies in student learning and teacher efficacy, learning and instruction in higher education, as well as cross disciplinary studies in learning theory and its applications. More recently, this aspect of my research has been incorporated in the activities of the Centre for Study of Research Training and Impact (SORTI) where I have become part of an active research team dedicated to cross-disciplinary and mixed method studies of research training.

Since becoming a member of SORTI, I have taken the initiative in two projects and been actively involved in various other projects examining a number of aspects of doctoral study. In conjunction with other members of SORTI I have been undertaking pilot projects that will underpin an ARC Linkage Grant application in 2004 and 2005. My work in instructional design has both a national and international profile.

Since I have obtained my doctorate have been consistently developing my grants profile. Another aspect of my research activity is undergraduate and graduate research student supervision. I am currently supervising three doctoral students and two masters level students and advising 40 undergraduate teacher research projects.

Research ExpertiseIn recent years there has been a shift in the direction of my research interests. This change has been associated with my membership of a dedicated centre of research into research training (Centre for the Study of Research Training and Impact SORTI).

Since 2000 my research activity has focused on applying learning theory to the post graduate context.. My colleagues and I have been successful in obtaining a number of competitive grants: the role of interpersonal factors in doctoral supervision; examining epistemological and ontological factors and individual differences in doctoral students, textual analysis of doctoral writing for evidence of contribution and understanding attrition. My early research work in the Faculty of Education's priority area of Teaching and Learning focused on examining individual differences (eg motivation, approaches to learning, cognitive style, self-efficacy) in a variety of learning contexts: primary, secondary and tertiary contexts. Educational Psychology formed the conceptual framework for this research

A national cohort of doctoral students (nÂ¿=Â¿1390) completed a suite of metacognitive questionnaires indicating management of affective, intellectual and contingency demands in l... [more]

A national cohort of doctoral students (nÂ¿=Â¿1390) completed a suite of metacognitive questionnaires indicating management of affective, intellectual and contingency demands in learning. Responses to the questionnaires were analysed for evidence of individual differences in reported metacognitive behaviours. Three patterns of metacognitive response to doctoral learning were identified through cluster analysis: Constructive Engagement, Struggling to Engage and Disengaged. Central to these clusters was the quality of each student's underlying epistemic framework, and the appropriateness of that framework for doctoral study. Cluster membership was broadly independent of demographic and candidate factors. It is concluded that interventions (supervisory or institutional) need to focus on more than technical aspects of candidacy, and give explicit support to underlying epistemic growth.

Gender role attitudes of adolescent girls have not been widely studied, nor have the mechanisms by which attitudes towards women's roles develop. The present study focussed on ado... [more]

Gender role attitudes of adolescent girls have not been widely studied, nor have the mechanisms by which attitudes towards women's roles develop. The present study focussed on adolescent girls' gender role attitudes. Specifically it focussed on developmental differences in gender role attitudes of adolescent girls (n=642). The results indicated that Year 9 girls had significantly more positive attitudes towards feminism than Year 11 girls. These findings have important implications for girls' career development. Results suggest that there is a critical period between Years 9 and 11 which accounts for girls' increased conservatism towards feminism. The integral involvement of socialisation processes is necessarily implicated in this critical period.

Cantwell RH, Scevak JJ, 'It's good to know where to publish - but what makes it publishable? Some thoughts for those entering the field of academic publishing', Publishing in Academic Journals in Education (2009) [D2]

Shaw KM, Holbrook AP, Scevak JJ, 'The response of education interns to a compulsory research project', Proceedings of the Australian Association for Research in Education 2006 Annual Conference, Adelaide (2007) [E2]

Cantwell RH, Scevak JJ, 'Supervisor conceptions of a doctorate and their relationship to a developing assessment framework', Proceedings of the 2004 International Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference, Adelaide, Australia (2004) [E3]

Equity, Opportunity and Experience: Negotiation of the Higher Education Learning Environment by Students with Learning Difficulties and DifferencesCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsCo-Supervisor

2015

Industry Training in Australia: The Quest for Quality in Apprentice Training for the Automotive Service and Repair IndustryCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor

Intervention on a String: What is the Impact of Puppetry on Special Needs Students?Curriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor

2014

Metacognitive Processes in Early Childhood Amongst Children Diagnosed With an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Age Matched ControlsCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor

Self-Regulation in the Doctoral Research Context: Exploring Students' Responses to a Self-Monitoring Process During PhD CandidatureCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor